Entries this day: Class Daniel_byebye Grrr State_of_my_life_address Walkin_around_Shibuya

Class

12:19pm JST Thursday 2 December 2004

Woke up just in time for Chinese/English exchange. This will be the last time we meet until 13 January 2005.

I'm on my way now to meet Daniel in Daikanyama at a cafe near a gallery where he will be in a show in January!! I'm really happy for him to have so synchronistically got that hookup hooked up.

Daniel byebye

1:55pm JST Thursday 2 December 2004

Saw Daniel off to the Narita Express platform in Shinagawa. We didn't really have time to eat, but it's happier overall because he'll get to the airport in plenty of time to get his bag from one of the terminals, and to get his flight at one of the terminals.

I'm really happy for Daniel's 80% chance of being in the gallery in January. He chatted with them again today to help firm up details. Good deal for him, hopefully; he may be able to begin a blossoming art career around the world.

Grrr

2:16pm JST Thursday 2 December 2004

Someone wrote that if one writes about one's actual life, the story will be primarily a list of failings.

Today, after explaining to Daniel that trying to fight the heartless beauracracy of Japan would result in nothing except a hatred for the beauracracy of Japan, I hit the beauracracy of Japan, but only for 190 yen worth of shit.

I went into the Yamanote line at Shibuya, dropped Daniel off at Shinagawa, and came back to Shibuya. My card, not having exited the system in Shinagawa, was not happy to come back to Shibuya. The guy was like, "where did you go?" and I was like, "I didn't leave the system." "Yeah, but it took you 50 minutes; where did you go?"

I should have told him Narita, but he wouldn't have got that I was trying to stab him in the eye with my hatred of having been caught. I should have said Ebisu, to save 30 yen. But I told the truth. Shinagawa. I went to fucking Shinagawa but I didn't exit the system.

Okay, granted, I got the benefit of going to Shinagawa. The system did its duty, and I got my money's worth.

But I wanted to have beaten the system. I wanted to have had a free ride. I took out 4000 yen and said, "dozo," and he took one of the thousands and gave me change.

Then I was like, "I want my fucking money back for the suica card. I fucking hate Japan."

He didn't understand. I kept my card, with zero yen credit on it. I hate Japan

's beauracracies.

4:25pm

Soon thereafter, it happened again.

I had plenty of time, so I went to Shibuya (make that Jiyugaoka) to Gaba to turn in my to show them my passport to prove that Gaba has sponsored my visa. They were like, "oh, we can't copy it; you'll have to go tothe convenience store to copy it." What a piece of shit. They tried to put it through the fax machine to copy it, but that wasn't working.

Fuckin' hell; I mean, comon. Gaba sponsored my visa. We do I need to show them that I'm allowed to work in Japan? Fuck I gotta stop typing about it before I kill sombebody.

So, stupidly, cause i was mad, I bought a train ticket *back* to Shibuya to go hang out and I threw Daniel's Hong Kong 2 dollar coin in the machine. It killed the machine, and they were not able to get the coin out for about 20 minutes. They said they'll have to get it out later and call me. Good deal. Little 2 dollar moneky wrench in the Japanese system. Hardly effective to do anything good, but at least I was *noticed*. Is that what it's all about? I want to be noticed?

State of my life address

2:02pm JST Thursday 2 December 2004

State of My Life

1. Daniel has just left Tokyo after 4 days of hanging out here during his layover from Hongkong.

2. I'm still happy about having climbed through the monkey net thing at the outdoor museum in Hakone.

3. I need to turn in a copy of my passport to work. I don't understand why.. They are sponsoring my visa, so they should know if I'm elligible for work. I guess it's a double check, or a wack system.

4. I was really impressed that Daniel got into an art show, or started the making of getting into an art show here in Tokyo.

5. My computer battery is still stupid and will die soon, though it says 83%.

6. I live in Motosumiyoshi, Tokyo, Japan. Have been in Japan since March 2003. Livin' in Motosumiyoshi since March 2004. Plan to leave in March 2005.

7. Plan to ride my bicycle (TJ Bike) to Hokkaido, following the hanami up the island.

8. I've realized recently that I need to start doing cool shit in Tokyo; I've done jack nothin' almost since I started feeling settled in this obscurely unsettling place.

9. I bought my first CD in Japan today: Eminem's _Encore_.

Walkin around Shibuya

6:24pm JST Thursday 2 December 2004

I made it back to Shibuya after my 300 yen wasted trip and went to a electricity museum (or so it was described to me) which turned out to be a big advertisement for TEPCO, Tokyo Electrical Power Company. what a blatant attempt to be a museum. Man, my brain is tired and my sentences are stupid.

I got a brochure for the thing and then a less professional brochure for the 7th floor, and it was riddled with typos and terrible English. I corrected some of them and wondered about getting hired for a English coorrection contract, but that didn't seem to be very forthcoming, so I just rocked out.

Went to Tower Records (sorry, Ben) and bought Eminem's _Encore_ CD after listening to most of the songs on the display copy.

Man I'm tired.

I'm here at Starbucks in Shibuya until Takako (Tomoko?)'s lesson, which, in 24 minutes, starts, finishes.

Best worst English ever.